LBFD Contains Fire Near Los Cerritos Wetlands

On Wednesday, May 14th at 9:11 a.m. the Long Beach Fire Department responded to a brush fire in the Los Cerritos Wetlands area near the southeast corner of Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

The fire spread quickly through the dry grass and brush due to high winds and elevated temperatures. Flying embers also spread the fire to surrounding palm trees in the Marketplace Shopping Center, and across PCH to the Seaport Marina Hotel. Some damage was sustained at the Hotel, with spot fires occurring on some boats in Alamitos Bay.

Due to the threat of fire spread and size of areas involved, assistance was requested from surrounding departments, including the Orange County Fire Authority and Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire was 95 percent contained by 3:00 pm with a small crew of firefighters still on scene on the lookout for “hot spots”.

The rest of the City continued to receive fire protection during this major event, as regional fire assets were deployed throughout Long Beach to ensure that calls for service elsewhere in the City were answered with a high level of service.

The Fire Department worked in conjunction with the Long Beach Police Department, the Department of Public Works, and Southern California Edison and appreciates their valued service.

Streets in the area were shut down including PCH, Second Street between PCH and Studebaker, and Shopkeeper Road. As of 4:30pm, streets have been reopened in all directions. Fire operations are expected to continue for the next several hours, so residents are advised to avoid the area if possible as there is still normal commuter traffic in the area.

One firefighter was transported to the hospital with heat exhaustion during the incident, but is currently in stable condition and has been release.